Great storage/carrying/drying solution

Credit goes to Revvy for this idea, and I thought I'd share - milk crates are awesome. I just got a bunch of milk crates from a company called Farmplast in New Jersey for $8 each, which includes shipping. They hold 23 bottles and they stack in a way that is sturdy as heck,

AND they make a sturdy carrier for a 6.5 gal BB, as well as a pretty good drying stand for the MLT. Cheers!

Exactly what I store my bottles in..!!!

I haven't bought any in a while because the University where I'm going to grad school just throws away the ones that there milk is delivered in... Try driving behind supermarkets, etc and see if you notice any sitting next to the dumpsters.

JonM said:

Credit goes to Revvy for this idea, and I thought I'd share - milk crates are awesome. I just got a bunch of milk crates from a company called Farmplast in New Jersey for $8 each, which includes shipping. They hold 23 bottles and they stack in a way that is sturdy as heck,

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Do you have a link for their shop?

TexasBeer said:

Do you have a link for their shop?

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Oops, guess I should have included that.

http://www.idairycrates.com/

The crates were $4, shipping is another $4, and they come in packs of six.

Growing up I worked in a grocery store. Milk crates are about the best damn packaging out there and can be reused to do all kinds of things. Hadn't thought to revist them now for my brewing... good call.

Another idea - I'm delabeling a bunch of bottles and using two milk crates to dry them after I'm done. I put 23 clean, wet bottles in one crate, right side up. Then I put another empty crate on top of that one, and inverted the whole thing. Now the water is dripping out of the bottles. Pretty cool.

Nice one! I wonder how well they fit in the rectangular crates.

Those are the 16 quart ones right?

Not sure how many quarts - they're just the square ones.

Great idea, but $8!?

I suppose if you're in a rural area, then maybe. I mean, I am a professional miser, so maybe I'm not one to talk (I hesitated when I found my 5gal kettle for $18..."I can find a used one if I wait!"), but it seems to me that this is exactly the sort of thing we shouldn't be buying.

If I had a dollar for every milk crate I saw sitting in front of a shop, or by the curb, I wouldn't have to be such a cheapskate!

At the same time, it makes a heck of a lot more sense to me to reuse. These things are indestructable, generally pretty clean (and easy to wash), and are so abundant that I couldn't bring myself to buy a brand new one.

Either way, a nice useful item for brewing!

stanzela said:

Great idea, but $8!?

I suppose if you're in a rural area, then maybe. I mean, I am a professional miser, so maybe I'm not one to talk (I hesitated when I found my 5gal kettle for $18..."I can find a used one if I wait!"), but it seems to me that this is exactly the sort of thing we shouldn't be buying.

If I had a dollar for every milk crate I saw sitting in front of a shop, or by the curb, I wouldn't have to be such a cheapskate!

At the same time, it makes a heck of a lot more sense to me to reuse. These things are indestructable, generally pretty clean (and easy to wash), and are so abundant that I couldn't bring myself to buy a brand new one.

Either way, a nice useful item for brewing!

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Encouraging theft is not a good idea...

Yeah, most of the time those aren't lying behind a shop because they're garbage - they're lying there because the dairy dropped them off full of milk jugs, the customer put the milk jugs in the fridge, and then put the crates back out so that the dairy can pick them up and fill them again. In that case, they're dairy property.

chemman14 said:

Encouraging theft is not a good idea...

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I'm not encouraging that anyone steal anything. I still do see milk crates in a hefty abundance, and many times they are most obviously left for dead. I am in a busy city, however, and realize that this is not the case for everyone...

I am the type that will always flesh out my options before laying down money, and I simply wanted to point out that milk crates are an item that tend to be floating around out there saturating the nooks and crannies and if you bother to snoop, you'll likely be rewarded. I'm sure countless people on HBT use plastic buckets that they've either found on a curb, or acquired by speaking with shop/restaurant owners, and I believe those innovative efforts are applauded rather than shunned. One less piece of plastic waste.

Also, I believe both that there is a time for encouraging theft, and that theft is a very peculiar concept, subject to a range of interpretations. While yours may be rigid and fixed in place, mine accepts that nothing is cast in stone.

stanzela said:

I'm not encouraging that anyone steal anything. I still do see milk crates in a hefty abundance, and many times they are most obviously left for dead. I am in a busy city, however, and realize that this is not the case for everyone...

I am the type that will always flesh out my options before laying down money, and I simply wanted to point out that milk crates are an item that tend to be floating around out there saturating the nooks and crannies and if you bother to snoop, you'll likely be rewarded. I'm sure countless people on HBT use plastic buckets that they've either found on a curb, or acquired by speaking with shop/restaurant owners, and I believe those innovative efforts are applauded rather than shunned. One less piece of plastic waste.

Also, I believe both that there is a time for encouraging theft, and that theft is a very peculiar concept, subject to a range of interpretations. While yours may be rigid and fixed in place, mine accepts that nothing is cast in stone.

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Like stated in the post above, those are the property of the milk company. Just like kegs are the property of the brewery

stanzela said:

Also, I believe both that there is a time for encouraging theft, and that theft is a very peculiar concept, subject to a range of interpretations. While yours may be rigid and fixed in place, mine accepts that nothing is cast in stone.

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I wholeheartedly agree.

I'm guessing those aren't 22oz bottles?

I definitely believe they are meant to go back to the dairy, but for some reason I see them sitting next to the dumpsters.

I got one today sitting that was sitting in front of a Subway sandwich place. I went and asked the manager if they were throwing that away or if sitting it out for collection and she said it was trash so I could take all they had. Score for me!!

Buy them straight from the manufacturer, and you don't have to screw around with all the interpretations of what is/is not theft. Cut and dried, beyond reproach, these are mine, perfectly legally. And you don't have to explain to the cop who stops by why your milk crates say "Property of Northern States Dairy" on them.

Milk crates have been used for a long time in the brewing hobby and in Haight-Ashbury style home decorating. They're in the same category as the wheel, and electric guitar, when it comes to useful inventions.

Jester said:

I went and asked the manager if they were throwing that away or if sitting it out for collection and she said it was trash so I could take all they had. Score for me!!

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This is all I mean. A perfect example of a legitimate, legal, and FREE acquisition of an otherwise pricey item.

When I saw that a 6gal plastic bucket was going to run me $12 at the local winemaking shop, I went straight down to a Polish deli, asked if they might have anything like that lying around, and the lady walked to the back of the store and came out with a perfectly good one. It had been used once, to transport some Kraut or something, and she'd already washed it. She did actually ask me for $2 for it, but I was happy to give it, both knowing that she might have had to pay a deposit on this sort of thing, and that even if not, I was still making out like a (dare I say this..?) bandit.

So, again, I'm advocating (and only for those who wish not to purchase a new milk crate for reasons financial, ethical, or whatever) for a little creative thinking, and that you speak to your neighbours and community shop-owners. Odds are you'll find what you're looking for.

Nice score, Jester.

my father owns a grocery store and just 2 weeks ago I asked him if it was okay to take milk crates. He checked with the milk man and he said they have tones of them and that I could take as many I wanted but just not 10 at the same time. So every week I take a couple home. Maybe the guy's making my dad a favor, but might be worthwhile asking the owner/manager if it would be possible to pick a couple. Asking for something cost nothing and the worst that can happen is no for an answer

I also a frim beliver in reducing and re-using. My 5-gal rubbermaid mash tun was find in a dumpster (only because the spigot was leaking). I have more then a dozen carboys and only one was bought new. And just the other day I got 2 corny kegs and a 20# co2 tank.....for FREE. The tank was rusted but a little cleaning/sanding/painting and it's like brand new.

jamiesavoie said:

. Asking for something cost nothing and the worst that can happen is no for an answer

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A great mantra for the budget conscious, waste-hating homebrewer. Congrats on your great finds, Jamie.

You've inspired me now... the new challenge: free kegs.

stanzela said:

You've inspired me now... the new challenge: free kegs.

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and even if they say no, sometimes it starts a great conversation about homebrewing. People will remember you (especially if you live in smaller city) and when they see something that might interest you they will let you know. That's how I got my kegs, the maintenance guy at work found them and tough of me and gave them to me, for free. I got free kegs, he got free beers; everybody’s happy!

Eh, whatever. The keg acquisition ethics debate has been done to death. Same rules apply to milk crate acquisition.

You really seem to be missing a key detail, dude. These weren't stolen. These items are forgotten about, pitched aside, laying around to collect dust and grime. I found a milk-crate this weekend sitting in a bush... I'm not too concerned that the milk co. is going to be chasing me down for this. I helped to clean up my neighbourhood and as a reward I got a useable item.

There are plenty of instances of legitimate, free acquisition. I don't know why the undies need to be in a bunch about it...

JonM said:

Credit goes to Revvy for this idea, and I thought I'd share - milk crates are awesome. I just got a bunch of milk crates from a company called Farmplast in New Jersey for $8 each, which includes shipping. They hold 23 bottles and they stack in a way that is sturdy as heck,

Click to expand...

you can get 24 in there if you try...